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Overview
After St. Martin's published We Love Harry Potter! We'll tell you why we got hundreds of letters from fans around the world who wanted to offer their thoughts about the books they love. Their fertile imaginations have led them to share their creative takes on Harry: their opinions about the plots and characters, their wishes for the next book and the upcoming, highly ancipated movie version, their ideas for playing Harry, Ron, Hermione, and all their other favorite characters, and much more! The collected letters are a delightful testament to how widespread and beloved the Harry Potter phenomenon has become.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781429978217 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | St. Martin's Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 08/25/2001 |
| Sold by: | Macmillan |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
| Age Range: | 9 - 14 Years |
About the Author
Sharon Moore is the author of The First Blue Jeans, a children's reader, and has also written books and articles on food and travel.
Sharon Moore is the author of The First Blue Jeans, a children's reader, and has worked on several previous projects with Lamppost Press, the packager for We Love Harry Potter! and for many other books of interest to children and teens. She has also written books and articles on food and travel.
Read an Excerpt
Harry Potter, You're the Best!
A Tribute From Fans the World Over
By Sharon Moore
St. Martin's Press
Copyright © 2001 Lamppost PressAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4299-7821-7
CHAPTER 1
What We Like (or Dislike) About the Books:
What's So Special About Them?
There are about as many reasons to like the Harry Potter books as there are readers of them. The books appeal to children of all ages from all over the world; the letters in this book were written by children six to nineteen years old, from wherever the English language is spoken, read, or studied. For a lot of kids, the Harry Potter books are a family affair, shared by siblings and parents. More and more children have become interested in writing themselves, thanks to these books. To them, J. K. Rowling is a real-life heroine, and they express their enthusiasm in the letters that follow.
Avery,Santa Ana, California
The reason I like Harry Potter's adventures is because there are so many surprises. The Dursleys are so mean to Harry, but I guess that there are those kinds of people in the world, and we have to live with it.
I wish that I could go to Hogwarts and learn magic. I guess that we have a kind of magic in the Muggle world, like growing plants, making fire, and things like that, so I guess no one is really a Muggle.
I would like to tell Harry to take more magic classes to get stronger so he can maybe defeat Voldemort. But he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to, because I know it's hard to have so much homework and stress.
Heather,Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
I bet that Hogwarts would be extremely fun. I would hate summer vacation because you can't use magic (and the Dursleys are completely dumb)! Quidditch must be amazing. If I could play, I would be a Seeker just like Harry, because I like looking for things. I wish we could play it in the Muggle world, but that would be impossible!
Harry is lucky to have an owl! If I could have any pet, I would get a snowy owl like Hedwig and an orange cat like Hermione's cat, Crookshanks.
I wish that Harry Potter could write to me, but he would have to use Muggle post, because I don't think my parents would appreciate an owl flying through the house!
Bianca,Perth, Australia, 10 ½ years old
I love reading and I can't put the Harry Potter books down. Most of my friends have started to pick up the books from libraries. It is very good at our school because there are lots of copies. Lots of people pick up the books at reading time.
Although the people in the books are very different from us, the books show Harry's life as a kid in our world's point of view. I also found that everyone's thoughts were captured well.
I don't think that Harry's parents lived in the Muggle world, because they were great friends of Albus Dumbledore, and so I think they must have lived somewhere like the Weasleys.
Lindsey,Port Chester, New York, 9 years old
I like Harry Potter because he is sort of not alert when things are about to happen in real life.
I got my mom into reading the Harry Potter books. We miss reading them, now that we have read them all. I wonder what happened to You-Know-Who? Every time I say that to my mom she cracks up. One time she was rolling on the floor, she was giggling so hard.
When I walk past a window and see a little boy or girl reading a Harry Potter book, it makes me happy inside. I say in my mind, "Oh, she or he is going to have fun reading that book. It's going to take her inside her own world."
There should be a TV series called Harry Potter and Friends, with a chapter for one whole hour, and then it would say, "to be continued." It should actually be an Imax TV series cartoon.
Annamarie,Heap Bridge, Bury, England, 10 years old
I absolutely adore the Harry Potter books! If J. K. Rowling's wonderful effort hadn't been put into the whole four books, I don't think any child or adult or grandma and granddad would've made the effort to read them. And I just want to tell her that she shouldn't stop there at her seventh book, no siree! She should carry on and carry on so the Harry Potter legend lives on!
I'd love to be in Harry's family, like his little brother or sister and go on all his adventures with him.
I've got two sisters, Susanne and Catherine (we're triplets!), and they would love to meet Harry, Ron, and Hermione. We would all help write the best books ever! We'll all use our imaginations. But, you know, it might just be true! You know what, I think it is true!
Brittany,Laredo, Texas, 10 years old
Harry Potter is a good book for just reading. When you go into a bookstore, the thing that goes through your mind is, "Why are we doing this?" After the purchase, you're saying, "It was worth it."
When you go into the bookstore and ask for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, for a few minutes you are tense. You think, "Will I like this book?" Your palms start to sweat. Your hair is damp. (Nerve-wrecking, isn't it?) Your feet go numb.
And, finally, they bring out the books. You grasp one and go to the counter. There's a lady in front if you. She has a camera, and she has a book bag. She asks to take your picture. You go red in the face. Your hands are shaking with excitement as you walk out with your book.
That's how I felt getting the fourth Harry Potter book.
Ashley,New Fairfield, Connecticut
I went to New York City and got J. K. Rowling's autograph. She looked very nice. It was sooo cold outside that my dad and I had to go into an Old Navy store and get another coat for me and some hot chocolate.
I have read all of the books eight times. I'm letting my teacher borrow my Harry Potter books, and she enjoys them a lot, too!
Joanna,Massapequa, New York, 11 years old
I have a special group of friends who are separate from my regular friends. They are fun to be with, but they are slightly different. They are wizards — Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. I have adventures and study at a wizarding school, just by reading four magnificent books.
These books are so lifelike that when I read them, I am a wizard. I fight the evil Voldemort, and I discover dragons, three-headed dogs, and other strange things. J. K. Rowling must have had these experiences. But wait, she couldn't have! It's her unique style of writing that captures children's and adults' imaginations.
When I read these books I laugh, cry, and smile at different parts. I talk about these books and characters with my regular friends. At one time, I even wished to meet them.
I don't know how J. K. Rowling comes up with these beautifully written books, but they are definitely masterpieces.
Jo,Landsborough, Australia
I think the Harry Potter books are great! After morning tea our whole class reads it. We are up to the third book. Our class has been looking up Harry Potter on the Internet. I can't wait until the fifth book comes out and the movie comes out.
Allison,West Chicago, Illinois
The Harry Potter books are the best books on earth! I finished the fourth one over the summer. I could never guess what happened at the end. Could you? The name of the last chapter, "The Beginning," really explains a lot.
I'm not a fan, I'm a fanatic!
Jude,Houma, Louisiana
I wish I had magic powers like Harry Potter. It must be cool to change people into toads or slugs.
Quidditch is awesome! I would like to play it, but I'm not a wizard. I wonder if now that Harry has his Firebolt maybe he could let me have his Nimbus Two Thousand?
It must be hard for a wizard to live with Muggles. A wizard could put a spell on them to make them fat and ugly, but it probably would not work because they are already as fat and ugly as they can be!
Courtney,Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania, 11 years old
I really like the part in book one when Harry first figures out that he's a wizard. I bet he was jumping up and down when Hagrid told him he was going to leave the Dursleys and go to Hogwarts. My mom said that I'm going to get the whole Harry Potter series when they all come out! Yay! I have a few posters with Harry on them hanging in my room and the little book called We Love Harry Potter! I think that when Harry is an adult, he'll be the greatest wizard of all!
Amanda,St. Louis, Missouri, 18 years old
I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Amanda. A lot of people call me Mandy and that's okay with me. I will be turning nineteen soon.
I really like J. K. Rowling's books. I would love to be a writer, too, but my stories are always so dull. I found a biography of Ms. Rowling in the library at school. I love to read, also. Do you think I will ever become a writer? I guess I just need a good subject to write about, to make a good beginning like Ms. Rowling's first book.
Samantha,Banbury, Oxfordshire, England
I have two best friends. One of them absolutely loves Harry Potter books and simply can't put them down. The other friend hates them and wouldn't be seen anywhere near a Harry Potter book. At first I agreed with the friend who hates them. The reason was, I had never tried one. My other best friend managed to persuade me to try one. I simply couldn't put it down! It took me two weeks to read books one to four. I was obsessed with them and I wouldn't stop talking about all the exciting adventures of Harry Potter. If I could have any wish, it would be to turn into a witch. Not an ugly witch, but one in J. K. Rowling's stories.
Morgan,Loveland, Colorado, 11 years old
I think the first Harry Potter book was the best, because that is when I first met Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I read it at my cousins' house. They wanted me to come and play Guns with them but I said, "Later."
Louise,Airdrie, Scotland, 13 years old
I live very near Edinburgh, where Joanne Rowling wrote her Harry Potter books. Her fantastic books seem just as popular over in the States as they are here! I am a huge fan of these books, even though I never expected to be, as I read the third book first. I am quite an advanced reader and I read it one day for fun. I didn't realize I was about to read the best story ever put down on paper! I rushed straight out to my local bookshop and bought the first two. I waited on tenterhooks for the fourth book. I got it the day it came out, and finished it the next.
Joanne Rowling makes a completely ridiculous story line sound believable and interesting. I think she must be incredibly smart to write such wonderful books.
Kelly,Frederick, Maryland, 8 years old
I like all the books so far, especially in the third book at the end when Harry and Hermione go back in time. My mom reads them to me at night. I got my dad into them, and when I was asleep he took them to read.
Fred and George are funny. I liked what they said at Christmas, "Why do our sweaters have an F and G on them? We know our names are Gred and Forge."
I hope that the books keep linking together and being unpredictable.
Dougie,Columbus, Ohio, 9 years old
I love reading the Harry Potter stories with my mom. She really likes them, too. I wish I could make my potions as good as Hermione's. She must study really hard at Hogwarts to be so smart. I wonder if they have special birthday parties at Hogwarts?
Ashley,Indianola, Iowa
The Harry Potter books are great. They give you something to think about.
I would like to ask J. K. Rowling a few questions. I am going to try to guess her name. Is it Jennifer Kathrine Rowling or Jacky Katie Rowling? Did she ever go on vacations as a kid? What state did she live in as a kid? Did she read a lot as a kid? What part does she think she would be good at in Quidditch? I think it would be fun to play Quidditch. I would be good at Seeker, because I am skinny and light.
* Note: Author Rowling's name is Joanne Kathleen and her friends call her Jo. She grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, and she still lives there. She did read a lot as a kid, and she still does. She wrote her first story when she was six.
Grainne,County Galway, Ireland, 12 years old
J. K. Rowling is an inspiration to me as I too hope to be a great writer one day. I have already saved up for the third and fourth books. I would like to thank her for giving the children of the world the great gift of her imagination.
Jordan,Meriden, Connecticut, 8 years old
Before the Harry Potter books came out I was totally bored. But now, I love to read! If or when J. K. Rowling retires, her books will probably be the most popular books in these United States.
Terri,Pontypool, Wales, 15 years old
I just finished the fourth book. A lot of my friends have never read Harry Potter, as it wasn't around when we were young enough to get into it, but now I own all the books! I just can't put them down. I dressed up as Harry during my work experience, and I read the first three books to children, to help advertise the fourth one.
I hope more people start reading the books! (You're never too young ... or old!)
Emily,Jupiter, Florida, 12 years old
I read We Love Harry Potter! and I thought it was a great idea to ask kids what they thought of Harry Potter. Not only does it inform Harry Potter readers about what other dedicated fans think but also it can persuade people to read the Harry Potter series.
I am one of those people who read naturally. Many of my friends do not read books on a daily basis but were thrilled by Harry Potter after they first started reading the books. Adults are picking up on the Harry Potter craze, too.
My favorite character is Hermione because she reminds me of my friend Lindsay Baker, smart and always at work.
The Harry books, I assure you, are not a passing fad. J. K. Rowling wrote a masterpiece. These books won't be forgotten soon.
Margaret,London, Ontario, Canada
Harry Potter books are the best. The characters are great (except for the ones Harry doesn't like). The books aren't like any other book because there are funny parts, scary parts, happy parts, and best of all — suspense!
Bo,Algonquin, Illinois, 9 years old
At first I thought Harry Potter sounded like a stupid kind of fantasy. Then my friend let me borrow the first Harry Potter book. I liked it so much I couldn't stop reading! I wonder why everybody is afraid of saying Voldemort's name? I don't mind it myself. Voldemort, Voldemort ... Well, that's enough of that.
I especially like the endings of the books. It was so exciting at the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone!
When I finished the first book I said, "I can't believe I finished it in three days!" Then my friend let me borrow the second one. The same thing happened to me with the second book. I couldn't stop reading. When my mom called me for dinner I said, "Let me just finish this page." After I finished I was so desperate to find out what happens next I just kept reading.
I finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in three days, too. When I found out that my friend didn't have the third book I was so disappointed. I told my dad, and two days later we went to Borders bookstore and ended up with all three books. Guess what happened to me on the third one, too? Yep, I couldn't stop.
The Harry Potter books are the best books I ever read.
Christopher,Woodbury, Minnesota, 12 years old
I have read the whole Harry Potter series five times. I was even Harry Potter for Halloween. The books are as good as a Popsicle on a hot day! I like to write stories, too.
I think the character of Harry Potter is a good role model for children because he knows the difference between good and evil. He is very brave and he treats his friends with respect.
When I read the books I can picture exactly what everyone looks like and what everyone is doing.
My mom has to pry the books out of my hands when I go to bed at night. (She has read all the books, too.) People say I even look a little like Harry Potter!
I am going to keep all the books and one day give them to my children to read.
Ewan,Wallington, Surrey, England
I myself am a Christian, and I do not understand why a Christian school banned the Harry Potter books; even my minister reads them! The school says they are un-Christian. Harry Potter books are like the Bible, though — good against evil — and to all the tiniest details. If I were in that school, I personally would disobey that rule to the full extent.
I noticed, well, my mum did, that Remus Lupin is a very interesting name indeed. It is Latin. Remus is taken from Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, who were in fact raised by wolves. "Moony" is Lupin's nickname, because he is a werewolf, and a werewolf changes at the full moon; also, lupus is Latin for "wolf." "Padfoot" is Sirius's nickname, because of dogs' feet, and Sirius is the Dog Star.
Quidditch could be played with rocket-powered broomsticks and rocket-powered balls, with a computer program telling the balls to do whatever.
Harry Potter brings parents and children together, and many children who didn't read much before are reading Harry Potter now.
My mum, my brother, and I squabbled about who should read the fourth book first. Now I've started it. I was a bit worried about it, because it said in the papers that J. K. Rowling's plot had broken down! But she managed to reach the ending okay. I'm so glad.
Andrea,Goddard, Kansas
I was in a bookstore, looking for a book to read on the way to Ireland. I just looked down, and there on the bottom shelf was the first Harry Potter book. I read the back cover and said, "This is the kind of book I've wanted to read my whole life." I have always known that I could write that kind of book, about magic and adventures.
The book interested me so much that everywhere we went on our trip — to Ireland, to see Big Ben [in London], and on the subways — I was reading the whole time. Nobody could stop me from finishing that book.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Harry Potter, You're the Best! by Sharon Moore. Copyright © 2001 Lamppost Press. Excerpted by permission of St. Martin's Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page,Introduction: The Magic of Imagination,
1 - What We Like (or Dislike) About the Books:,
2 - Our Most and Least Favorite Characters:,
3 - How We Act Out the Characters in the Books:,
4 - Opinions on Future Books:,
5 - Letters to Characters in the Books:,
6 - Games We Like to Play:,
7 - Recipes for Wizard Food:,
8 - Poems and Song's We've Written:,
9 - Letters from the Classroom:,
10 - Club Notes:,
11 - Letters from Grown-ups:,
12 - Cryptolog's Spelling Bees:,
13 - Crafty Crossword:,
14 - Myths and Legends:,
HARRY POTTER, YOU'RE THE BEST!,
ALSO BY SHARON MOORE,
Appendix: Other Books for Harry Potter Fans to Read - Novels and Nonfiction Books for,
Young Readers,
Notes,
Copyright Page,